At the present time a building constructed of wood generally uses standard timber sections cut to size on site and assembled. In some cases complete panel sections which may include walls, floor and/or roof are prefabricated in a shop and then brought to a building site for final construction. Engineered wood products are now becoming available on the market. These products, which include laminated veneer lumber and glue laminated dimension lumber are made in larger sections and larger lengths than standard timber, they are fabricated in a fabrication shop and may be cut to length in a shop or on site. Some examples of engineered wood products are those sold under the trade marks PARALLAM and GLULAM.
Steel buildings generally have steel beams and columns fabricated in a fabrication shop and then shipped to a building site for construction. In the past when only standard timber sections were available, the beam and column system was not suitable for multi-storey buildings primarily because wood in standard timber sections did not have the strength of steel. However, today with the new engineered wood products, multi-storey wind and earthquake resistant buildings can be constructed using wood. Furthermore, the beams and columns for such buildings can be fabricated in a fabrication shop and shipped to a building site for construction.
Prefabricated wooden buildings have been made with fabricated wall panel sections including wiring, plumbing and the like, made in a fabrication shop and shipped to a site for construction. In the past, however, this type of construction has generally been restricted to only a few storeys, generally not more than two. These restrictions have primarily been due to the length and strength of the standard timber sections available.